Penn State football: James Franklin explains timeout before missed field goal in Michigan State loss
In the aftermath of Penn State’s 30-27 loss to Michigan State in East Lansing, it’s difficult to look past the obvious missed opportunities the Nittany Lions had to put points on the board in such a tight contest.
The most glaring of those came with 56 seconds remaining in the first half.
Penn State kicker Jordan Stout missed a 27-yard field goal that would have tied the game as the two teams entered their respective locker rooms at the half-time interval.
Some questioned Penn State head coach James Franklin’s use of a timeout before Stout’s kick. Did he unintentionally “ice” his own kicker in snowy, cold conditions inside Spartan Stadium?
Franklin was asked about his decision postgame.
“We were just trying to burn as much time off the clock as possible, so after we kick the field goal we leave them with the least amount of time as possible,” Franklin said.
Stout’s kick was pushed wide of the right upright. The initial snap was slightly high, but holder Rafael Checa did well to bring it down in time for Stout to put his leg through it.
Still, the execution of the field goal unit as a whole was far from flawless.
Stout also missed an extra point in this game after Penn State nickel corner Daequan Hardy intercepted Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and returned it for a touchdown.
In total, Penn State’s kicking game left four points off the board when those four points could have swung this game in the Nittany Lions’ favor.
The sequence provided a difficult end to the regular season for Stout. The Penn State special teams utility infielder excelled in the punt game on Saturday night, repeatedly pinning Michigan State inside its own 10-yard line.
However, in a way that is somewhat emblematic of how his season has gone, Stout’s performance in the field goal game left something to be desired.
Stout finished the season 16-23 on field goals and 32-34 on extra points.
Penn State opts for Pinegar
Penn State turned to Jake Pinegar to kick an extra point late in the fourth quarter, and he converted.
It marked the first time this season that Pinegar appeared in a game. The fourth-year placekicker suffered an injury before the season began, and lost the field-goal kicking job he had previously shared with Stout.
Pinegar had previously attempted the majority of Penn State’s short kicks, with Stout handling the longer ones.
On top of points the missed kicks cost Penn State, Franklin said those failures influenced Penn State’s decision to go for it on fourth-and-1 from the Michigan State 16-yard line, trailing by three in the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions failed to convert with an inside run by Keyvone Lee that went nowhere.
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